Course Overview: Physiology

Cardiac Physiology

The heart is a powerful organ which performs its service around the clock. Did you know that it pumps 7000 liters of blood throughout the body—every day? The autonomous control of the heart and a unique muscle building are responsible for this.

In this course, Prof. Thad Wilson will provide you with a basic understanding of the heart mechanics. You will discover the heart as a central part of blood circulation.

Learn more about the use of the ECG, how to interpret the results, and how to choose treatments accordingly. Deepen your knowledge about heart sounds and the heart pressure. Other topics covered are:

Frank-Starling curve

Membrane potential

Heart rate ranges and gap junction channels

Inotrope

You will further have the chance to deepen your knowledge with the help of the corresponding download material and challenge yourself by answering quiz questions.

Content

The detection and recognition of heart sounds play an important role in the diagnosis of various cardiac and valvular conditions. Because familiarity with heart sounds has such practical importance, students undertaking the USMLE are expected to have a good understanding of its theory and clinical applications.

Physicians encounter ECGs in their clinical routine every day. Additionally, ECGs are frequently the topic of exams, which is reason enough for us to provide an analysis algorithm that will aid students in interpreting an ECG. Learn the seven steps to interpret an ECG and test your knowledge by taking the ECG quiz.

Our heart is a powerful pump that performs its duty around the clock. It pumps 7,000l of blood through the body each day. This is possible due to, among other things, its autonomous regulation and unique musculature. This article covers the aspects of cardiac physiology that are relevant in medical exams and creates a basic understanding of the mechanics of the heart.

The heart – a muscle working without exhaustion and breaks. It ensures the blood’s transport through the circulatory system. However, the conditions under which the heart is working do not always stay the same. An aortic stenosis, or increased blood reflow via the veins, strain the heart. In machines, the settings and scaling would have to be changed. Our organism, however, has its own ways of dealing with that. One of them is the so called Frank-Starling mechanism.

Your Educators of course Cardiac Physiology

Thad Wilson, PhD

Thad Wilson is a Professor of Physiology and has been teaching medical students for more than a dozen years at Colleges of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA (Drexel University); Athens, OH (Ohio University), and Indianapolis, IN (Marian University). He has worked extensively developing and improving medical curriculums, as well as serving in leadership roles as a Medical Physiology course director and Organ System team leader. Professor Thad Wilson has been awarded multiple medical school teaching awards and previously was involved in both question writing and question reviewing for national board exams in the health sciences. He currently helps students prepare for medical board exams, in addition to his teaching and scientific pursuits. Professor Thad Wilson has coauthored over 75 peer-reviewed scientific articles as well as a physiology textbook, Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews: Physiology, which has been translated into four languages and a number of electronic formats.

User reviews

(41)
4,7 of 5 stars

5 Stars

36

4 Stars

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3 Stars

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2 Stars

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1 Star

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Great adjunct to my university lectures

By Karl G. on 17. July 2018 for Cardiac Physiology

This course augmented my university lectures perfectly. I turned up for class today prepared to consolidate the concepts and apply the learning!

The lecture simplified the concept, it’s easier to understand and straight to the point. It’s a good post textbook review of the concept. Thank you so much!

optional quiz idea

By Fathimath D. on 24. February 2018 for Cardiac Physiology

Please consider adding more questions, as an optional quiz, because I know if the quizzes are too long the circle can't go green and the time taken to go through the whole set might increase, but if you added questions as an extra choice for those wanting to be challenged that might be nice.

The lecture simplified the concept, it’s easier to understand and straight to the point. It’s a good post textbook review of the concept. Thank you so much!

optional quiz idea

By Fathimath D. on 24. February 2018 for Cardiac Physiology

Please consider adding more questions, as an optional quiz, because I know if the quizzes are too long the circle can't go green and the time taken to go through the whole set might increase, but if you added questions as an extra choice for those wanting to be challenged that might be nice.

excellent

By Sharon M. on 22. February 2018 for Systole and Diastole – Cardiac Cycle

excellent clear description told easily thanks so much
understand a lot more now

great

By Neelam M. on 15. February 2018 for Cardiac Physiology

love the illustrations and the step by step explanations. Very knowledgeable !!

One of the most engaging professors.

By Andre T. on 09. February 2018 for Myocyte Conduction Pathway and Atriventricular Block (AV) – Heart Rate and Electricity

I really appreciate his enthusiasm and clarity. He's cheesy, but that's what makes his presentations a little more interesting.

I appropriate how you explain cardiac output!! I did not get it and I did study the chapter many times until I watched you and you made it so easy for me!!!

Good explanation of the cardiac afterload!!

By Phil G. on 15. January 2018 for Afterload – Cardiac Mechanics

WOW, very easy way to understand the most complex part of lecture! Dr. Wilson is very relaxed, clear and knowledgeable of the subject! I would recommend this video to my classmates!! Thank you so much Dr. Wilson!!

Dr. Wilson, you are the best!! Thank you!

By Phil G. on 14. January 2018 for Preload and the Frank-Starling Law – Cardiac Mechanics

Very clear and simple to understand! Dr. Wilson love and enjoy what he teaches!

Excellent professor; ideal length of the course.

By Sandra F. on 12. January 2018 for Cardiac Physiology

Excellent explanation about the cardiac cycle. The professor makes it simple to understand. The lectures have the ideal length.

Very good description of Cardiac Mechanics

By Timothy B. on 12. January 2018 for Inotropy: Definition, Regulation and Effects – Cardiac Mechanics

The explanation is short and simple. Very easy to understand, it allows me the time to think about what is happening.

missing practical examples

By Mohammed s. on 03. December 2017 for Mean Electrical Axis and Determining Axis on ECG – Electrocardiogram

As general principles this can be ok.It is missing examples of ECG tracing on real ECG papers to recognize the normal mean axis in practical way.Would you please do a lecture showing the normal axis and axis deviation in hypertrophy and ischemia

Not recommdnded

By Roman S. on 26. November 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

I think that a lot of important concepts were not explained enough, and some at all. I did not like the way things were explained.

Thumbs up

By Ken W. on 25. November 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

Explains the material well without reading off the slides. Other areas could be improved, such as EKG, but overall, he provides a good base and a much needed break between reading assignments.

Would recommend

By Elizabeth Z. on 16. November 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

Direct and to the point
Very easy to understand
Made the material more manageable

Great Overview

By jaxx k. on 10. November 2017 for Para- and Sympathetic Control of the Heart Rate – Heart Rate and Electricity

Quick and to-the-point. My 1 hour medical school lecture in less than 10 minutes

Cardiac Physiology & in general

By Fabian K. on 07. November 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

(...) we're drowning in information but starved for knowledge (...)
Breaking down complex information into manageable information is a kind of art to me. So THANK YOU for your artistic existence!!! Keep up your good work!
By the way my coffee consumption decreased by you guys :-)

Thanks Prof.Thad W. For this great work.

By Jonathan K. on 04. November 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

The lectures are exceptionally good, with well illustrated slides and in good animation.

Easy to understand, good prep for my exam!

By Chantal B. on 01. November 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

It was well explained and it consolidates key concept to better understand the materials.

VERY good

By AIKATERINI D. on 23. October 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

Very good explanations. However, I do think there should be more details, for example, more explanations on pressures.

Misleading Quiz Questions

By Astrocyte C. on 18. October 2017 for Afterload – Cardiac Mechanics

Two of the quiz questions are wrong to me, either have multiple answers or incorrect answer.

Very good presentation.

By Dr Glenn G. on 18. September 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

This is an excellent review and update of cardiac physiology.

Makes it easier to understand

By Hernán T. on 20. June 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

Very good course, it helps you to understand better the way the heart works by simplifying the contents.

Finally I got it

By Linn Mari F. on 30. May 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

I've been through almost the whole course, and I found it extremely helpful!

A little unclear

By Linn F. on 29. May 2017 for Myocyte Conduction Pathway and Atriventricular Block (AV) – Heart Rate and Electricity

I've been watching through and writing notes your videos til this one (thank you so much for making this easy and understandable while staying on a detailed level that I need for my exams) BUT there's something that wasn't that clear to me. What did you mean on the slide about type 2, where you mentioned Mobitz? Sentence nr2 of the 3 didn't make much sense to me.

Thank you!

By Isabel P. on 22. May 2017 for Pacemaker Potential and Pacemaker Cells – Heart Rate and Electricity

Thank you!! Finally understood this after years of studying it over and over again... I can't believe it was so simple!! Thank you so much!

Thank you

By sarah F. on 18. May 2017 for Frank-Starling Curve and Atrial Dynamics – Cardiac Mechanics

I enjoyed the breakdown of each intricate part of the system. I feel that I understand pharmacology better, especially digoxin and its effect on the heart.

Well organized information

By Francesco G. on 22. April 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

Information are organized very well: all concepts that I have studied on my physiology book in some weeks, are here summarized in short lectures that took me an afternoon to go through it. I would strongly recommend it.

Great Lectures

By Jon W. on 08. April 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

Fantastic lectures and course. I am a critical care nurse and like to review these lectures to refresh my knowledge on topics. These lectures are perfect for remembering heart physiology and gaining a better understanding of some of the more difficult concepts.

Great Lectures for USMLE Step 1

By Shelley D. on 12. February 2017 for Cardiac Physiology

Lectures are clear and concise and hit high yield topics for USMLE Step 1.

AMAZINGLY HELPFUL

By Vana P. on 23. January 2017 for Para- and Sympathetic Control of the Heart Rate – Heart Rate and Electricity

Love the fact that the topic is split into bitesize clips and the focus is on understanding first then learning second.

Generally good lecture but there are tons of typos everywhere on the slides for cardiac physiology and I'm pretty sure he misspeaks occasionally. Make sure you use another resource to fact check

Highly educational!

By Victor J. on 28. December 2016 for Cardiac Physiology

Highly educational lectures from a very charismatic lecturer.
I liked it very much!

Great charismatic lecturer!

By Robin S. on 26. December 2016 for Cardiac Physiology

Simple, easy to understand diagrams and an EXCELLENT lecturer! Easy to follow and very dynamic and fun. I've enjoyed watching all of these lectures. Covers a great deal of content.

Great job.

By Lazaro D. on 13. December 2016 for Cardiac Physiology

Very clear and dynamic conference. It is really appreciated. Thank you Dr.

Great Review of the most important Cardiac Physio Step 1 material

By Jessica G. on 04. December 2016 for Cardiac Pacemakers – Heart Rate and Electricity

Explains tricky concepts in a very basic manner. Would def recomend

Great instructor and get a FULL understanding

By jeremy c. on 04. November 2016 for Cardiac Physiology

Another excellent series that makes complex material approachable. Great instructor and great charisma. I tell everyone at pa school to use this system to really learn the why's and how's that we occasionally skip.

Great for learning the basics of cardiac physiology

By Gabriel F. on 21. October 2016 for Cardiac Physiology

Very good overview of cardiac physiology. Explained many concepts very clearly!

Very simplified yet very detailed.

By NIGEL U. on 07. October 2016 for Cardiac Physiology

This course has taught alot of things I didn't know, as well as highlited things that are obviously High Yield. The teachings are very simplistic and make things easy to understand. This would be a great product for any IMG such as myself.

More elaborate

By Yokeh M. on 02. September 2016 for Cardiac Physiology

As in most courses in physiology, I think many concepts in this course require more elaborate explanation; probably with simple animations/illustrations that make learning and retention easier.

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